This, the first of four monumental volumes on Oliver Cromwell, covers the period from his birth in 1599 to the trial and execution of Charles I in January 1649. The earlier part of the book traces Cromwell's origins and his upbringing as the son of a Huntingdonshire squire, the emergence of his Puritan faith, and the apprenticeship which, as an opponent of the crown's policies, he served in parliament and in local politics. His rise to national prominence was achieved by his great victories in the civil wars, particularly those at marston Moor and Naseby, and by his leadership of the New Model Army. His conflicts with the Levellers and the army radicals in the period surrounding the Putney debates of 1647 are fully examined. Th final chapter covers his attempts to secure a post-war settlement with the king, and his eventual decision to abandon conciliation and to carry out the regicide--the event which made possible his own assumption of power.